Whether you’ve seen the “Lana Cult” memes on TikTok or her crazed fans on Twitter, Lana Del Rey is a name you’ve probably heard of before. Del Rey, otherwise known as Lizzy Grant by her loyal fans, released her album “Born to Die” in January 2012 and attracted some fans, but remained a small artist. She released other albums like, “Ultraviolence” (2014), “Die for Me” (2013) and “Lust for Life,” and gained a following behind her. It wasn’t until the rise of TikTok that she became notorious from fans’ videos.

Del Rey is unique from her incorporation of cinematic romances, melancholy and allure within her music. She dapples into the 60’s with her music videos, and lyrics but still manages to keep the modern indie pop appeal. The best way I can describe her music is, old soul, but young at heart. Del Rey released her song, “Chemtrails over the Country Club” in 2021 and fans were ecstatic. The album was released on March 19, and as I write this, her fans are going ballistic and #Lana is the third most trending on Twitter. It will be a while before that calms down, but in the meantime I will be listening to the album. I genuinely have high hopes for the album we have been waiting for since 2019 (way to keep us hanging Lizzy!). I am convinced Del Rey cannot release a bad song. However, before you give this album a listen, here are my thoughts: 

Now, let’s get into the album review. “Chemtrails over the Country Club” will be marked as Del Rey’s seventh released studio album. The black-white album cover depicts flapper women sitting around a table all with delighted smiles. It reminds me a bit of the “Ultraviolence” cover with the colors, but otherwise this cover is unique and nothing like she has released before.

Let’s start off with the introductory song “Chemtrails over the Country Club.” I have no qualms about it except that I have listened to it way too many times in anticipation for the album. It was a great song to introduce the album. The song is incredibly catchy, and the lyrics match the melodies. The song is almost euphoric. In my opinion it’s the definition of true happiness, and bliss. It got me thrilled for the rest of the songs, which is what an introductory song should do.

Moving on now before I go off on a tangent: as I listen to the first few seconds of “Tulsa Jesus Freak,” I can tell Del Rey is in her natural habitat. It’s not a bad thing at all. What that means is, it’s the Del Rey we know her best for and I appreciate her for sticking to it. It isn’t revolutionary but I enjoy it. Her voice is simply ethereal, and the melodies of the chords intertwine perfectly with her lyrics. If this song was a place, it would be heaven.

Next up is “Dark but Just a Game.” The song begins with a deep bass, similar to “Brooklyn Baby.” The lyrics are soft, almost whispered in direct contrast to the deep bass chords. Logically, this combination would not work. However, she exceptionally blends the lyrics and melodies together to where it sounds natural. It is like the classic music we know her for, but with a twist. That being said, “Dark but Just a Game” is in second place with “Tulsa Jesus Freak” at this point.

“White Dress” ended up surprising me. I did not think I would like the song but Del Rey surprises me yet again. It is very similar to “Tulsa Jesus Freak” but it has piano in the background. This song is almost whispered, but it has perfectly placed high notes that give the song a little bling. The best way I can describe this song is wedding song, but make it spicy. “White Dress” remains in close second to, “Dark but Just a Game.”

Onto the next songs, “Dance till we Die,” “Wild at Heart,” “Breaking up Slowly,” “Not All Who Wander Are Lost,” “Let Me Love You Like A Woman” and “For Free.” I don’t have any qualms about the songs, it is classic Del Rey and I’m here for it. She remains with her common theme of melancholic love songs, but I’m not bored of it surprisingly. She almost always manages to add new twists to her songs. This time, she added more beat drops and bass to contrast with her soft-spoken lyrics.

The last song, “Yosemite,” disappointed me quite a bit though. Del Rey had the opportunity to add different songs to jazz up the album, but she went with rather plain ones to end. “Born to Die” was a classic album but “Diet Mountain Dew,” “Lolita” and “National Anthem” added a whole new version of Del Rey that I loved. Those songs were upbeat and added an element of surprise to the album, and I wish she did that here too. In simple terms “Yosemite” was boring, and it had no place on such a wonderful album. If she had replaced “Yosemite” with a more upbeat song, it would have suited the album better.

Overall, the album exceeded my expectations that were already high. After such a “meh” year of 2020, this is what we need to rejuvenate. “Chemtrails over The Country Club” is like carefree, summer days that will hopefully be in our near future. So if you contemplated giving this album a listen, this is your sign.

Best Song: Tulsa Jesus Freak

Worst Song: Yosemite

(Shameless Plug): here is a playlist with all my favorite Lana Del Rey songs, and you can be certain songs from “Chemtrails over The Country Club” will be there.